Formatt Hitech Firecrest Ultra 3 Stop Soft Graduated ND Filter

Firecrest were the first photographic filters to use carbon neutral coatings to bring unprecedented neutrality to the market. To ensure the filters were as durable as possible, Formatt bonded the coating in the centre of two pieces of optical grade polished glass (using a very precise amount of an equally neutral bonding agent, developed in-house.) This process gave the filters two vital areas of protection:

1. The critical part of the filter, the Neutral Density coating, is shielded from wear and tear. Instead of a coated filter where one piece of glass is coated on the outside and protected with an anti-scratch treatment. No matter how good the anti-scratch coating, it’s not as tough as glass.

2. They have more structural strength than a single piece of glass.

So what is Ultra about Firecrest Ultra?

After polishing and bonding, these filters undergo an additional process referred to as “lapping & polishing”. This involves grinding the filters to ensure they are perfectly flat, and then highly polishing the outside to ensure complete clarity. This is essential for video capture as any minute waves or imperfections in the glass would manifest as a ripple in the image when the cameras are panning (an exaggerated version of this effect can be seen when looking through very old windows.)

For a truly professional product that meets the demands of ever more sensitive sensors, Firecrest Ultra isn’t the best choice.